(Vatican Radio) In Zimbabwe, over 2 million people are expected to need food assistance
during the pre-harvest period early next year. This is the highest level in need of
food assistance since 2009, when half the population required aid.
“The rising
food insecurity for this season…is due to a combination of factors, including weather
conditions, the high cost or lack of availability of fertilizer and seed, and the
prospect of high food prices due to the poor harvest,” said Victoria Cavanagh, a Harare-based
official from the World Food Programme.
She told Vatican Radio the situation
is severe in Zimbabwe.
“Recent monitoring has found that many people have already
exhausted or are soon to exhaust their personal stocks, and they are starting to rely
on buying cereals from the markets,” Cavanagh said. “Our monitoring has found that
grain prices are higher which means that cash flow becomes a problem when job opportunities
are scarce.”
To help people withstand future droughts and other shocks, WFP
has been implementing a Cash/Food for Assets programme in rural Zimbabwe since June.
Under this programme, vulnerable communities receive food or cash while taking part
in projects such as the construction of community irrigation systems and deep wells.